How It Continues
by Tate Icasa
Summary: Sequel to 'How It Begins'


How It Continues

By. Tate Icasa

I.

He stood against the railing of the stairs next to the building.

His friends weren't out of class yet, and wouldn't be for a while.

She was, and she was alone.

He stepped into her path, and in her hurry she ran into him.

He grabbed her by the shoulders to steady her, and she glared up at him.

"Get out of my way, Della Robbia." She snapped.

"Now, now," he childed mockingly. "Is that any way to speak to the man whose shoulder you cried on last night?"

"I swear if you tell a sould about that. . ." She hissed.

"Touche." He laughed. "Our secret then."

She glared. "Get out of my way, I'm late."

He shrugged and moved.

II.

He lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling.

There was a party that night, but he'd chosen not to go. College parties weren't his thing. He wasn't about to get in trouble with the law. Still.

A knock on his door made him curious. Wasn't everyone else at the aprty?

He opened the door.

She looked almost noarnal, dressed up as he was, but her smile was hazy and she appeared almost scared to death. She fairly stumbled into the dorm when she walked.

"Hey, are you alright?" He asked, leading her over to a chair and making her sit.

"I think," She hiccuped, "I'm drunk."

"Of course you are. Did you think you could go to a college party and _not_ get drunk?"

"I hadn't, hic, thought of it."

He rolled his eyes.

"My father will have a, hic, a fit!"

He grinned at that.

"And, and my date, hic, tried to-" She cut off there.

"Oh." He said, his face become instantly sympathetic.

"I'm scared to, hic, go back out there." She admitted.

"Stay as long as you like." He said.

III.

When he woke up the next morning she was gone.

He smiled to himself when he saw the hair ribbon laying in the chair.

He tied it around a bed-post.

Neither spoke of the incident the next day.

IV.

_knock, knock, knock._

Her door opened.

"I need to talk to you." He said.

She hesitated, then grabbed his collar and dragged him into the dorm.

"Well, what is it?" She asked when the door closed.

"Last week, after that party, you were drunk, and you came to see me. Not to your friends, and not to your own dorm. To _me._ Why?"

She frowned. "You were the only one I could trust not to be drunk, and not to be like my date." She shrugged. "And as for going to my own dorm, I didn't wat to be alone."

"Is that the only reason?"

She hesitated. "Yeah."

He let it go.

V.

It was the biggest dance of the year. But hen the Graduation Prom always was.

He was standing outside against the building.

"Looks like you didn't get a date." She said, walking by.

"Like you did any better?" He shot back.

She shrugged.

He glanced at the sign and she followed his gaze.

"Couples only." She read. "'Single students not admitted,' stupid rule."

He nodded. "Why'd you come if you couldn't get in?"

"Why did you?"

"I can usually pick up a girl outside."

She laughed. "You haven't been able to pick up a girl since the eighth grade!"

He shrugged. "You're standing here, aren't you?"

She narrowed her eyes. "I don't think so." Then she walked stalked away.

He laughed softly to himself. "I'll still be here when you change your mind."

VI.

She was back half an hour laer.

"Why?" She asked.

He looked at her strangely. "Why what?"

"Why would you take your sworn enemy to the prom?"

Something flickered in his eyes, then disappeared.

"It's a simple matter of getting from Point A to Point B. You want to go to the party, I want to go to the party. Only couples _can_ go to the party. One plus one equals two." He shrugged.

"And that's it?"

He hesitated. "Yep. So?" He held out his arm.

She sighed and took it. "Fine."

VII.

He walked her back to her dorm afterward.

She complained the whole way.

"I'm perfectly _capable_ of walking back to _my_ dorm _on my own_."

"I don't doubt that. That was a college party, there are drunks everywerhe. It wasn't that long ago you came to me looking scared to death because your _date_ was drunk. Remember?"

"I'll be fine!" She snapped.

"I know. That's why I'm walking you."

"But-"

"It's not up for debate, Elisabeth."

She looked at him sullenly.

He laughed. "You look like a little kid."

"And what does that make you?"

"Pedophile?" He said, knowing she wouldn't recognize the word.

"Huh?"

He laughed again.

VIII.

The next day she was looking at him strangely.

"What?" He asked finally.

"I looked that word up in the dictionary."

He paled. Her hadn't considered that.

"Walk with me." He said tersely.

She followed.

"What did you mean?"

"When?"

"When you said that. Duh."

"Oh."

"Are you really?"

They reached his dorm and he went inside.

"I was thinking in context. Goodnight." He closed the door.

IX.

He wondered if she'd understood what he meant.

It was probably for the best if she didn't. He sighed.

There was nothing he could do about it anyway.

He wrapped the ribbon around his finger.

X.

Two days later his mobile suddenly had a text message on it.

From a number he hadn't seen since, well, it must have been eighth grade.

'Meet me in the park. 12:30. Saterday.'

He didn't reply to the message.

But he did go to the park.

At exactly 12:30, there she was.

She sat down on the bench next to him.

"Hi."

"Hi."

And they sat in silence for the rest of the day.

XI.

She looked at the sky. The sun was setting.

"Getting late."

"Yep." He said. "We better get back to our dorms bfore they close the school gates for the night."

She nodded. "Walk me to my room?" She requested.

"Thought you were capable of walking on your own." He said, grinning.

"And I thought you hated me." She shrugged. "Thinks change." She tapped her foot. "You gonna walk me or not?"

XII.

The school gates were locked when they got there.

He cursed.

"Now what?" She asked.

He checked his pockets and cursed again.

"What?" She asked.

"I forgot my mobile." He said. "How about you?"

She shook her head. "I didn't bring it."

"Then we're locked out off campus for the night." He sighed. "I suppose we could sleep in the park."

"But thats. . .not right."

"Hobo's sleep in parks all the time."

She crossed her arms. "I rest my case. Besides, hobo's have practice."

"How do think they got practice?" He said, quicrking an eyebrow and leading her away. "Jus think of it as a camp-out."

She hesitated.

"Are you scared?"

She straightened. "Of course not."

"Then come on!" He said , taking off at a run. "You're it!"

She blinked and stared after him for a second before laughing and running after him.

XIII.

They fell on their backs in the grass, laughing.

"I feel like. . .I'm in kndergarten again." She said between breaths.

"Me too." He said. "Look, I can see the stars."

She smiled and propped herself up on her elbows and looke around. "If we have to sleep out here, let's at least get under shelter incase it rains."

He sighed and got up.

XIV.

They found shelter under a broad tree. The ground underneath was soft and dry. He promptly fell asleep leaning ageainst the trunk.

She watched him for a few seconds before curling up on the ground.

XV.

She woke up shivering. It was still dark.

She shifted positions futily.

"Are you alright?" He asked softly, opening one eye.

She shivered. "Just cold." She whispered.

He smiled faintly and shifted slightly. "Here." He said motioning. "Sit with me."

She gratefully crawled to him and curled up in his lap.

He chuckled quietly.

"What?" She murmured sleepily.

"It's nothing." He assured her. "Go to sleep."

"Ok." She said, and leaned closer into his chest.

He wrapped his arms around her and drifted back to sleep.

XVI.

When the school gates opened the next day, they were the first ones inside. The gate-keepers were giving them a look that said they thought they knew something.

He waved to her and went on to his first class.

They didn't see each other for the next three days.

XVII.

It was, from the start, a tenative friendship, and purely platonic.

For thier parts, most of their friends had been very accepting.

The two laughed like young children, like kindergarteners.

And as time passed, all memory of the word 'pedophile', and a night spent under a tree in the park, faded into obscurity, and all reference to them was lost.


End file.
